Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Kaliningrad Protests

Thousands of people poured into Kaliningrad’s central square on Saturday, protesting tax increases on automobile imports, cuts in social welfare programs and high utility costs, organizers said. Numbers varied, with the police saying that no more than 6,000 attended, while organizers said there were over 10,000.

The protest, led by a loose coalition of opposition groups, was uncharacteristically large for Russia, where riot police officers are regularly sent to break up even small rallies.

So far, there has been little resistance from authorities, which is also uncharacteristic.